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Sunday, December 6, 2009

I recently learnt about CIBIL, the first credit information agency of India. Curious as I was, I am in process of applying for my CIBIL report. Only because, I have had a couple of loans and credit cards in my name, I wanted to make sure everything is perfect on my credit score. I was surprised at the minimalistic level of media coverage for this empowering tool for all borrowers and lenders alike; although this being the premier credit information agency of India for consumers.

I will be applying for my CIBIL report in second week of December 09 hopefully, and shall share my findings with you. The application procedure, format, and response time from CIBIL.

On a more curious note, how much you knew about CIBIL before reading this?

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Update: January 15, 2010-----------------------------------

CIBIL was quick in processing my application and generated my report on 6-01-2010. I received it in another 6 days. Hence a total turnaround time of less than 30 calendar days. Pretty impressive. The report was exhaustive, and I was amazed that each and every credit I have/had was listed out. All information was crystal clear and easy to understand. There were some factual errors, which I was able to resolve easily with help of CIBIL and concerned credit grantors. As they say, information is empowering.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

I have been staying in Sector 51, Noida for the past four and a half years. There is a square adjacent to our society where roads from sector 50, 51, and the bypass meet. It was an unregulated square. With no police presence, no traffic lights, and no road dividers. Still I never saw any congestion whatsoever, given the low intensity of traffic.

However recently Noida Development Authority decided to revamp this square, into a round about, and things have been going haywire ever since. Road dividers have come up (that too without any warning signs, or flashy paint), a large cemented round about has been constructed. All this at the expense of not only tax payers money, but also precious road area. The sheer size of this construction is so big, that it has eaten into the width of the road.

Now traffic snarls are a common sight at this round about, as converging lanes try to form a single queue.

My only question is, who decides how should round abouts be optimally managed. It is good that development work is being done, but it should not be done overlooking common sense and logic.

A number of roles are defined in Scrum. All roles fall into two distinct groups—pigs and chickens—based on the nature of their involvement in the development process. These groups get their names from a joke about a pig and a chicken opening a restaurant:

A pig and a chicken are walking down a road. The chicken looks at the pig and says, “Hey, why don’t we open a restaurant?” The pig looks back at the chicken and says, “Good idea, what do you want to call it?” The chicken thinks about it and says, “Why don’t we call it ‘Ham and Eggs’?” “I don’t think so,” says the pig, “I’d be committed, but you’d only be involved.”

So the “pigs” are committed to building software regularly and frequently, while everyone else is a “chicken”—interested in the project but really indifferent because if it fails they’re not the pigs—that is, they weren’t the ones that committed to doing it. The needs, desires, ideas and influences of the chicken roles are taken into account, but are not in any way allowed to affect, distort or get in the way of the actual Scrum project.

The Pigs are the ones committed to the project in the Scrum process—they are the ones with “their bacon on the line.”

Interesting to relate this with relationships. A date is a chicken, while your spouse is a pig. If you screw up, the date is only involved and can shrug shoulders and move on. While the spouse is committed and takes the fall too. I am wondering where would a live in partner fit in this schema of things.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

The plan came out of nowhere. In office Krishna asked if I and Nikita could be available for a dinner today, along with Rajesh and Swity bhabhi. Although the motive was to separate us from the stag crowd at a more "hap" gathering later in the week, but I agreed. As there was still hope, I could make it to the stag gathering.

Nevertheless, the five of us had a blast at Haldiram's Sec 63. Not in months had I spent my time literally crackling with laughter and that too so loud. We had a range of topics to talk about. From Gaurav's fashion escapades, to Rishab's cynical moods, from the good life in UK to the oh not so good life here !!

There was the usual stuff, from Krishna's wedding plans to the sordid state of affairs in the already married men [read me and Rajesh].

Time literally flew past by as we munched on all the papdi chat, raj kachori, dosa, noodles, manchurian, pizza, rasogulla, rasmalai and jalebi. Only at 10:45 PM did we realize it was too late, and decided to pack and leave.

But have a plan nevertheless. A nite out and fultoo pyjama party at my place on Xmas eve and New years.

Krishna thanks again for the dinner. And thank you guys for the wonderful evening.